Workout Tips
What are the top 3 workout tips a bodybuilder would recommend?
Who better to ask for workout tips than a bodybuilder? This is because bodybuilders need to know how the body works to get the maximum results from their training as they invest so much of their life in a gym.
The following is a list of the top 3 workout tips that you must follow to see any improvement in your training results. In fact, if you are not doing them, you're going nowhere fast.
1.Aim for Failure in every set
It sounds ironic to most people, but to correctly fatigue your muscles and encourage them to grow, you need to make them fail!
This is where it is important to have a training partner who can safely help you reach the failure point. I see a lot of people who train weights by themselves who are wasting their time. The reason is that 97% of people cannot push themselves hard enough in their training to get anywhere.
A training partner will help you safely reach the failure point and maybe push you for an extra rep or two that you didn't think you had left in you.
Success with this principle involves always selecting the right amount of weight. This is easy to tell because you should choose a weight that makes you start to "struggle" on the third last rep and start to "fail" on the last two reps - which is where your buddy helps with just enough effort to get you through.
If you are getting through your reps too easily, then it is time to go up and conversely, if you are struggling too early it is a sign that the weight is too heavy.
2. "Drop Set" your way to results
The drop set principle is where you complete the last "set" of each exercise and immediately drop the weight by half and perform repetitions until failure. Quickly Halve that weight again and immediately perform repetitions until failure.
This technique ensures you achieve maximum fatigue in your muscles. This is what stimulates them to grow.
When you do this at the end of each exercise, your training starts becoming much more efficient.
An example of this would be barbell bench press exercise, performing three sets at 100kg (220lbs) and on the third set, drop the weight to 60kg (132lbs) and perform repetitions until failure then drop the weight to 40kg and perform repetitions until failure.
3. Use the "Negative" principle for weak point training
Another one of the great workout tips bodybuilders use is training "negative" to overcome weakness.
The process involves resisting the weight you are struggling with for as long as you can, then get your training partner to perform most of the "lift" for you to repeat your resistance again.
Using the example of the bench press, start with your hands holding the weight above you and very slowly lower the weight down towards you. VERY SLOWLY. Your training partner will lift the weight to the starting position and you repeat VERY SLOWLY.
You will notice that your body will get the "shakes" as you struggle. This "shaking" triggers muscle growth because the body realizes that it could not recruit enough muscle fibres to stabilize the weight.
You can perform "negatives' with just about every exercise, just get your partner to help with the "lifting" part of the exercise and remember to go as slow as possible